This article explains what a privacy policy is, what it does, and why your business website needs a privacy policy. If your website currently doesn’t have a privacy policy or if you are updating it for the new GDPR requirements, this article lists several free online privacy policy generator websites.
Don’t you hate getting an unsolicited email (spam)? Whenever someone you don’t know calls you, or emails you, they are trying to sell you something, so remember that.
Phone solicitors today have gotten pretty slick with recorded messages to sound like there is a real person asking you questions, or official-looking mail you receive that attempts to appear important enough that you better respond (or else), and email messages that try to get you to take action regarding something of interest to you.
Many job seekers may believe they are applying to a job site application, but may, instead, give their information to an entity (especially an unfamiliar one) that will sell and resell their email addresses and other information to an unscrupulous source.
That would explain the emails so many job seekers receive from people they don’t recognize (also known as phishing that has happened to many Facebook users). It is also a good reason to review the privacy policies of any source that allows you to easily give your information, and, it is why you should never ever provide your social security number to an online source. There are countless scams prevalent on the internet today.
Companies like Facebook have been accused of mishandling secure data. So not only is it crucial that you protect the data you acquire in your online business, but you also need to keep your data secure on a regular basis and update your security software periodically.
Ensuring that your customers understand what you intend to do with their data and that the customer data is secure will give you and your customers more peace of mind.
What Is a Privacy Policy?
Simply put, a privacy policy answers a few basic questions:
What Information Is Collected
Your privacy policy should state the types of personal data you collect from customers including home address, e-mail address, phone numbers, and credit card numbers.
How Information Is Collected
You might have an email sign up for a newsletter, application, or install cookies on the visitor’s computer to track activity. Disclose how data is being collected. You should also make it easy for customers to limit the use of their data to a single-use thereby restricting the data to a one-time purchase.
How Information Is Used
Explain how you share customer information with third parties such as to process orders. If you sell customer information to marketers, explain what information is sold and how it could be used.
Again, make it easy for the customer to control the use of their data, whether it’s changing a password on their account or taking their name off of a mailing list. Include a direct phone number or email address that customers can use to manage their information with you.
How You Protect the Information
Explain how you protect customer data including website encryption, limiting employee access to sensitive customer data, and data storage best practices.
What Does a Privacy Policy Do?
A privacy policy is a statement that explains the ways a company gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer’s data protecting a customer’s privacy. Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify an individual and is not limited to the person’s name, address, date of birth, marital status, contact information, ID issue, and expiry date, financial records, credit information, medical history, where one travels, and intentions to acquire goods and services.
For a business, it is usually a statement that declares its policy on how it collects, stores, and releases the personal information it collects. It informs the client what specific information is collected, and whether it is kept confidential, shared with partners, or sold to other companies or businesses.
Privacy policies, in general, represent a broader treatment, rather than data use statements, which tend to be more detailed and specific.
TIP: Pay a couple of dollars and have an attorney review it when you have your privacy policy prepared.
Most countries have their own legislation and guidelines of who is covered, what information can be collected, and what it can be used for. If you plan to do business globally, keep in mind that data protection laws in Europe cover the private sector as well as the public sector. Their privacy laws apply not only to government operations but also to private enterprises and commercial transactions.
What Is GDPR?
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a privacy regulation intended to provide better protection for the personal information of European Union (EU) residents.
All businesses worldwide are expected to be GDPR compliant by May 25, 2018, to ensure that companies collect and store personal information in a way that provides the highest protection for individuals including:
- Email addresses
- Names
- Photos
- Bank information
- Social media posts
- Medical information
- Computer IP addresses
If you hold the personal data of even one EU resident, you need to comply with the GDPR. It also applies to anyone from the EU who joined your list in the past and who is still on your list.
The consequences for not being compliant can include fines of up to €20 million for serious offenses, and 2% of annual global sales for offenses like not having your records in order or not notifying the authorities of a breach.
Does My Business Website Need a Privacy Policy?
Privacy policies describe what data you collect from your users and how you’ll use that information and you will need if you have a website, blog, or mobile app that you intend to use for sharing personal information in your online communications. Here are several good reasons why your online communication needs a privacy policy:
Build Trust Instantly
When someone sees that you have a privacy policy, even if they never read it, there is a subconscious belief that they can trust you. Many successful websites all around the globe display privacy-safe trust seals. These digital images instantly show visitors that you have an up-to-date privacy policy. They have been proven to immediately increase the level of trust between online businesses and their online visitors, similar to the Underwriters Labs seal of approval (which companies pay a lot of money for).
Provide Visitors Peace of Mind
Privacy policies provide peace of mind to individuals who actually read your privacy policy. By explaining to them exactly what you plan on doing with their personal information, they feel comfortable, stay on your site longer, and they may even refer others to your site.
Fulfill Third-Party Requirements
Companies like Google and Apple require that your website displays a privacy policy. Even if you’re not planning on personally collecting sensitive personal data, using a third-party service to collect data or display ads, like with Google Analytics or Adsense, it still means that you’re collecting personal information and the user has a right to be informed.
There are websites where you can find privacy policy documents for free that can be downloaded and customized for your specific use. In many small or new businesses, it’s easier to state that you use secure sources such as PayPal or a bank to conduct your business transactions. If customers cannot trust that third-party service to collect data, then they may not be real customers.
NOTE: It’s no longer okay to simply include a pre-checked box in your form—the kind that requires the person to uncheck it in order not to be sent emails. Instead, your subscribers will need to consciously, clearly, and intentionally request to join your list and receive emails from you. If your offer is irresistible enough, this should not be a problem, so you don’t have to trick people into receiving your emails.
It’s the Law
Since almost every state and country, as well as several state-sponsored organizations, require you to display a privacy policy, doesn’t it just make sense that if you collect, store, or share personal data like emails, names, or payment info, you need to explain what you plan to do with your visitors’ and customers’ personal data?
Protect Yourself from Potential Lawsuits and Fines
Without a comprehensive privacy policy, you risk the probability of being sued. Delta Airlines, Snapchat, Google, and many more companies have all faced lawsuits and fines over questionable privacy policies.
Keep Your Mobile App from Being Suspended
App stores like Google Play and Apple require app developers to have privacy policies linked to their apps before they are approved. If app users can’t find your privacy policy for whatever reason, your app could be suspended or terminated.
Make More Money
Research has shown that if you are honest and upfront with people who visit your website by providing them with a privacy policy, more of them will do what you want them to do. If you are doing e-commerce business, you will make more money with a privacy policy than you will without one. Getting people to fill out surveys (which are difficult enough), forms, and signing up for newsletters is easier with a privacy policy.
How Do I Create a Free Online Privacy Policy?
Let’s keep this simple. There are free online privacy policy generators that will ask you a series of questions to auto-generate the privacy policy.
Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy is a free WordPress plugin that will generate the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy content.
The following are websites that will allow you to create a FREE online privacy policy:
Final Thoughts: Why You Need a Privacy Policy
While you shouldn’t get too stressed out about the impending changes, realize that today, everything counts! It is worth the effort to protect the privacy of your customers and by doing so, elevate your good standing with the business community.
Make the time to ensure you’ve fixed any mistakes you’ve made in the past, and that you are in compliance in the future. Here are some final thoughts to consider:
- Keep it simple. Don’t ask for more information than you need. Make it easy for your subscribers to change or delete their information with an “Unsubscribe” and “Edit Your Preferences” link or button.
- Once they unsubscribe, it’s also important that their info is removed from any third-party vendors you use or, that you clearly state that you’re not responsible for what happens after people leave your site in your privacy policy.
- Never email people who have unsubscribed from your list.
- Use a double opt-in process when collecting emails which, means that after entering their email, they also need to click a confirmation link in an email to confirm they want to receive your emails.
- Keep records of people’s consent. If you occasionally collect emails at live events, conferences or tradeshows, make sure you keep the original records where people ask to be added to your email list. Good records will help you in other ways, such as evaluating what works better or not at all, as the case may be, to show where your marketing efforts are most effective and at what time of the year, along with the stage of buying that the customer is in, among other things.
- Include a clear link to your privacy policy or terms of use at your website where they can click for more information.
- Your privacy policy should clearly explain who you are, why you have the right to use their data (because they opted in), and that people have the right to complain to the ICO if there’s an issue with the way you’re handling their data.
- Use an SSL certificate. Make sure your website is updated to HTTPS. A secure website (https://www.yoursite.com versus http://www.yoursite.com) is critical in terms of SEO (search engine optimization) and in light of the GDPR, it’s a must-have for data security.
- Update your email list and remove contacts that weren’t collected appropriately. Contact them if you aren’t sure in order to get their approval to send them emails.
Take a look at the articles How to Create an About Us Page for Your Business Website, How to Create a Contact Us Page for Your Business Website, and How to Create a Services Page for Your Business Website for more tips about creating content for your website.
For help designing your website call 602-633-4758 or contact Golden Oak Web Design.
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